


Metamorph

by cheyla



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie) Spoilers, Crossover, Gen, Magic Meets Technology, Metamorphmagus, Ministry of Magic, Post Hogwarts AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-14
Updated: 2017-08-20
Packaged: 2018-04-09 09:42:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 18,176
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4343633
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cheyla/pseuds/cheyla
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Harry and Teddy are called to the United States to help debrief a muggle family about the wizarding world and the abilities of their metamorphmagus child. Interestingly enough for them, the Barton family just happens to be that muggle family. Between that and Dark Marks starting to appear in the States, it's becoming more than just a typical debriefing.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

"Well it seems like your little girl is doing just fine and will be here in the next few weeks."

Two heads turned at the comment made by the doctor.

"Don't you mean our little boy?" the woman on the examination table asked. The doctor frowned and turned toward the ultrasound equipment that was showing the baby inside her womb.

"All signs show that it's a baby girl," he said. "And there's no chance of any confusion. Your baby is turned facing towards us, legs spread."

Laura Barton glanced down at her stomach and tightened her grip around her husband's hand, keeping him from speaking up. She would deal with this.

"I understand that you're filling in today for Doctor Peterson and haven't been with me for the whole process, but for the last three visits, Doctor Peterson clearly noted that we were expecting a boy," she said. "The paperwork should say so as well."

The doctor glanced down at the paperwork and sure enough, there were notes about the child being a boy. He glanced back at the screen again and there was no doubt in his mind that the child was a girl.

"If you'll excuse me for a moment," he said before quickly exiting the room.

"Let's go," Clint Barton announced as soon as the door closed. Laura shot him a sharp look.

"The appointment's not over yet," she told her husband, who snorted in reply.

"I don't trust this doctor," he said. "He can't even read a screen right."

Laura glanced over to the screen, where the image of their child was still being shown.

"Do you trust me?" she asked. Her husband looked offended by the question and refused to answer, causing Laura to roll her eyes in silent amusement. "I've given birth to two children and I've gone to several of my sisters and my cousins' appointments. I know how to read these ultrasounds just as well as any doctor."

"Where are you going with this, Laura?" Clint asked, beginning to feel like there was a big reveal just around the corner.

"For the past few appointments, I could see just as well as Doctor Peterson that I was going to have a boy. Now, however, I'm seeing a girl inside me. Clint, I think our baby has changed genders on us."

Laura's husband's hand twitched, as if it wanted to reach for his bow or arrow that Laura had insisted remain at home. He may be an Avenger but that didn't mean he needed to bring his weapons out in public, especially not when he could defend himself and her without them.

"That shouldn't be possible," he said, in disbelief.

"It shouldn't be," Laura agreed. "But lately a lot of things that shouldn't be possible have been happening around us."

"What are we going to do?" Clint asked.

"I'm going to give birth, you're going to be proud of this child no matter what gender it ends up being, and we're going to raise him or her like we've raised our other children," Laura stated. "And there won't be any complaints about it."

Any further conversation was cut off by the doctor returning, this time with a nurse in tow. She glanced at the screen and looked astonished by the results. The Bartons were sure that the rest of the clinic would have been called in had they not firmly reminded the medical professionals that they had other appointments that day that they couldn't miss. Less than half an hour later, Laura was dressed and was walking out of the clinic, ready to head home and watch her husband spend some time with their family for once.

As they exited the building, Clint snorted, drawing a look from Laura.

"Natasha's going to love this," he said. "She might get her little Natasha after all."


	2. Chapter 2

"What are you doing here, Barton? Don't you have a bouncing baby boy to keep you busy nowadays?" Clint stared at Tony Stark, who looked surprised to see him at the Avengers headquarters.

"Baby girl," Natasha corrected quickly with a smirk. She hadn't stopped smirking since she had heard the news.

"Hasn't been born yet," Clint replied as he made sure everything was in order and all of his things were where he had set them. "I'll get a call as soon as there's any hint of labor starting."

Tony grimaced at the thought, causing a few of his teammates to laugh. "I'm still surprised how normal your family is, compared to you," he muttered. Clint ignored the comment. He had gone to great lengths to make sure that his family had a normal life, considering his occupation, and so far it had worked. It was something he was thankful for.

"Let's focus," Steve interjected. "Fury has sent over information regarding some new intel. He wants us to check it out, to make sure that Hydra isn't involved."

At the mention of Hydra, everyone turned somber and began focusing.

After spending the weekend at home, Clint was just starting to get back into the pace of things and reconnect with his teammates when he received the call he had been waiting for. Picking up on the buzzing of his third cellphone—the one he kept for family only—Natasha smirked.

"Should have taken a long weekend like I suggested," she commented. Clint glared at his longtime friend. He knew that there had been bets about when the baby would finally come, especially once it became clear that it wasn't going to come around the due date.

"You got lucky," he muttered before grabbing his things. "Stark, I'm going to need a jet."

"Again?" Tony asked. "But you just got here. Didn't even give the crew time to fuel it up after it landed." The billionaire looked more put out about that fact than the fact that Clint was leaving.

"Ever tried putting a baby on a schedule?" Barton asked. "Before you do, let me tell you that it never works. They have a mind of their own."

"Say hi to baby Nathaniel for me," Tony said as he pulled out a phone to make the call.

"Baby Natasha," Clint's best friend corrected. "Send pictures."

"Like you're not going to come visit tonight," Clint said with a laugh.

"Send pictures," Natasha repeated, smirk widening.

When Clint touched down a few hours later, he headed straight for the hospital. This was their third child and he knew that Laura would be doing to same she thing she had done the last two times she had gone into labor.

It was strange, seeing how things had changed from the day Cooper, his first child, had been born to now. The first time Laura had gone into labor, Clint had barely been able to think straight. That had been before he had joined S.H.I.E.L.D.

Then Lila had been born a few years later. He hadn't been as nervous but he was still worried that something could go wrong.

Now he was much calmer. The only worry on his mind was about the last doctor appointment Laura had had. Would they have a son or a daughter?

"Laura Barton," he demanded at the front desk when he entered the hospital. The woman at the front desk fumbled a bit when he subjected her to an intense stare.

"Maternity ward, first floor, room one-twenty-seven," the receptionist said after checking the computer. Clint nodded, already knowing where the ward was.

Laura was alone when Clint entered the hospital room. She winced briefly in pain as a contraction hit her before smiling at her husband.

"You could have taken your time," she told him. "I'm only six centimeters dilated."

Clint sat in the chair next to her bed.

"Last time we were in here, I arrived an hour later and you were three centimeters then," he said. "It's going faster this time."

"Good," Laura murmured. "How's the team?"

She hadn't been thrilled that her husband hadn't fully retired from S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers but as long as he wasn't going on missions daily and only left the country for extreme cases, she could compromise with him. She still worried that there would be a day when he didn't come back or that someone with malicious intentions would discover information about their family but that was a worry she had been dealing with for years.

For the next few hours, the couple talked, catching up with the goings on in their lives. They had seen each other over the weekend but weekends never seemed long enough, especially with children to focus on.

The labor stage passed very quickly this time around. Less than an hour later, Laura had dilated ten centimeters and was being wheeled into one of the birthing rooms. Clint followed. He had always been present during the births of his children and that wasn't going to change. He especially wanted to be present for this birth. The Avenger didn't want to admit it but the last doctor's appointment had worried him somewhat. He didn't believe that the gender of the baby would suddenly change and had a niggling feeling in the back of his mind that something else was going on.

Clint's attention was brought back to his wife as she gave his hand a hard squeeze when she pushed. Laura smiled up at her husband before turning her attention to her lower body. The labor was going a lot faster than the previous two times and it was a lot less painless. Whenever it got to the point of being too painful, she felt a strange icy sensation wash over her body that dulled the pain. It was something she hadn't experienced before and she was wondering what was so different now.

"One more push and then we'll have baby's head," the doctor announced less than half an hour later. "We're nearly there."

Laura grimaced as she pushed once again. After the head had been pushed out, she didn't wait for the doctor's orders. Her body did the rest. Two more pushes and her third child was in the nurse's arms, being taken away to be cleaned, weighed, and measured.

Clint frowned as the baby was taken away. Like his other two children, his third was squalling as it was examined but he hadn't remembered his two oldest being so dark. When the nurse and the doctor glanced his way, he knew something was up.

"What is it?" he asked.

After sharing a look, the nurse spoke up. "A baby boy," she said as she continued carrying on her routine tasks. The doctor glanced at Clint again before looking down at Laura.

"Is something wrong?" she asked, noticing the look. The doctor grimaced as he tried to offer a reassuring smile.

"I know this is a very sensitive question but it must be asked," he said. "Mrs. Barton, are you absolutely sure that your husband is the only possible father of this child?"

Clint tensed and Laura practically snarled at the insult. "Of course I'm certain," she snapped. "Why would you consider even asking that question?"

The doctor looked helplessly at the nurse. Instead of saying anything, she finished marking her clipboard and wrapped the newborn infant in a blue blanket. He was as clean as she could get him at the moment.

"Your newest child," she announced, placing the baby in Laura's arms. "Do you have a name yet?"

Staring down at the infant, Clint and Laura suddenly understood the need to ask such an insulting question. The black skin explained everything.

"Nathaniel Pietro Barton," Laura answered mechanically, sharing a glance with her husband. To anyone else, his expression and eyes would be unreadable but Laura had years of experience. She could see the shock in them and the questions, but there was nothing that signified that he had any doubts about the baby's parentage. The name had been picked for months so that was the easiest question she could answer at the moment.

"When can Laura and Nathaniel be discharged?" Clint asked suddenly.

"We can have them home by the end of the night," the doctor said. "But in this circumstance, we would like mother and baby to stay a bit longer."

"Would there be a reason for that other than you wanting DNA tests?" Laura asked harshly.

"Well, no," the doctor said but any other comments he had were cut off.

"We'll be going home as soon as possible," Laura announced. "I have other children that need to go to school in the morning and will want to sleep in their beds at home, with both of their parents around. I don't want anything done except the typical postnatal checks and care, and those don't typically include DNA tests so those won't be done."

"Mr. Barton?" the doctor asked. Clint shrugged.

"My wife is the one that's just given birth," he said. "She's been through this a few times, so I'm sure she knows what she wants."

The couple stayed silent as Laura was moved into the post-natal ward, waiting until they were completely alone before talking.

"You know—" Laura started but Clint cut her off.

"I know. You said there was no one else and I trust you," he said. "It's just a bit shocking."

"That's one word for it," Laura stated. "But I guess we got our baby boy. Natasha will be disappointed."

"She wanted pictures," Clint stated, looking down at his son. Laura grimaced.

"You should probably hold off on that until we get home," she said. "I'd rather a house full of Avengers rather than all of them crowding into this hospital room." Clint laughed at that. Things would definitely be cramped if they all showed up here.

"I need to make a call," he said. "You'll be okay here for a few minutes?"

"Pass on my greetings," Laura replied with a nod, knowing whom he was going to call. Clint nodded absently as he pulled out his phone and left the room. Laura sighed as she glanced down at her child.

"You're going to be a difficult one, aren't you?" she asked. "I know you are but don't worry. Your father can be difficult as well, even if he won't admit it."

Clint wandered down the hallway, trying to find a place that was empty enough that he could speak without being overheard. He had heard rumors while he had been working at S.H.I.E.L.D headquarters but this was the first time he had experienced something like this personally. He needed to inform his superiors of this development because they would probably have a better idea of what to do.

As he stopped in front of a vending machine, Clint listened as his phone dialed and the other end picked up. "Fury, it's Barton. Something's come up."


	3. Chapter 3

"Potter! You have a mission. Special request from the American Congress of Magic."

Harry turned away from his conversation he was currently holding with Rita Skeeter. The blonde reporter started scribbling away upon hearing the new tidbit of information.

"Rita," Harry Potter sighed. The woman winked at him, unashamed of her actions.

"News is news, Mr. Potter," she said. Harry only shook his head, feeling slightly amused before he walked over to Susan Bones, Head of the Department of Mysteries.

"Was that really necessary, Susan?" he asked when he reached the witch, watching as the reporter dashed away, quill still scribbling.

"Would you have rather had her writing a report claiming that you and Ginny might be getting back together? You know she saw you two when you went out to dinner the other night."

"With all the other Weasleys. Anyone who saw us knows that it was merely a Sunday dinner," Harry protested. Susan laughed.

"Never stopped her before. Now come on, I need to fill you in on the details of this mission."

"Shouldn't Ron be doing this?" Harry asked, referencing the current Head of the Auror Department. Harry had held the position for a few years before stepping down and letting Ron take over. The dark-haired wizard liked being out in the field too much and Ron had wanted a position that would keep him at the Ministry—and near to Hermione—most days.

"He's already approved it," Susan explained. "The request technically came through for my department to send someone with an Auror partner. While my Unspeakable is debriefing the muggles, you'll be setting up a department at the American Congress that will be a liaison with our Ministry of Magic."

"Muggles?" Harry asked.

"I'll explain the details in my office," Susan said. "Now come on. Time is of the essence right now."

Harry picked up his pace.

"Harry?" a familiar voice asked once Harry and Susan had arrived. The wizard started when he spotted his godson waiting for them.

"Unspeakable Lupin will be the Unspeakable accompanying you to the States," Susan confirmed at Harry's look. "He's the only one with the qualifications that meet the Congress's request."

"And what qualifications are those that a wizard not yet a year out of Hogwarts has over more experienced Unspeakables?" Harry demanded. "No offense, Teddy."

"He's a metamorphmagus," Susan replied. "Earlier today, a metamorphmagus was born to two muggle parents. The American Congress doesn't have any metamorphmagi currently employed and there's none actually living in the States as far as they're aware. They've requested Teddy to help try and explain things to the family. It's somewhat urgent, as the father works for the government and the Congress wants you two to assess whether or not there'll be any danger from the muggle government if the child would be left with its biological parents."

"Once Teddy settles in and gets to know the family, you'll be going to New York, Harry, where you'll need to set up a department. The ultimate goal will be to have Aurors from both the British Ministry and the American Congress completing international missions together. There's been too much of an increase in crimes that are crossing borders and we're hoping that this will clear up some of the jurisdiction issues we've been encountering."

That actually made a lot of sense to Harry. One of his largest frustrations while being Head Auror had been the fact that there had been no international agency of Aurors, like the muggles had with Interpol. It limited them in many circumstances.

"Aren't metamorphmagus abilities hereditary?" Harry asked, turning his mind to the most pressing question. "How is it that a muggleborn has those abilities? And how did the American Congress of Magic find out so soon after the child being born?"

"The mother has magic in her family, mostly with cousins. Her two oldest children are muggles but having a magical child was never ruled out by the Congress. As for the metamorphmagus abilities…the theory right now is that a gene mutated. It seems that's been happening a lot lately over there. Not as bad as it's been happening in Japan and Russia but it's still becoming more and more common.

"As for the American Congress…they've been tracking the mother ever since she was married and they keep an eye on her pregnancies. The nurse in the room was a squib and she contacted them after seeing the baby's eyes change colors a few times in a few minutes after birth. The skin coloring also clued her in.

"Sounds simple enough," Teddy stated. Harry nodded in agreement.

"Why me?" Harry asked.

"If it was just a simple debriefing, any Auror would do," Susan agreed. "However, this will be Unspeakable Lupin's first mission in another country and I figured someone more experienced would be preferable. You two work together well and you actually have experience running a department, Harry."

Harry couldn't protest any of those facts.

"Okay," he agreed. "But Lily and Albus—"

"Ginny will be notified once you leave," Susan said. "She should be used to this by now."

Harry grimaced. "Don't remind me," he muttered. "I assume there's a Portkey set up?"

Susan nodded and held out a ball of twine. "It'll take you to the end of their property," she said. "The driveway is pretty long, so you'll have quite the walk but they shouldn't see you arrive. You have five minutes to summon anything you might think you need and then it'll activate."

"I have everything," Teddy muttered, standing up from where he had been seated. Harry patted his jacket pockets, mentally cataloguing everything he had with him in the next minute or two. Wand, invisibility cloak, medical potions kit…

"Same," he agreed. Susan nodded and passed over the ball of twine.

"The parents' names are Laura and Clinton Barton," she said as they waited for the Portkey to activate. "They named the child Nathaniel."

Teddy and Harry nodded, making mental notes of the information.

"Father is government—mostly known for being a member of the Avengers," Susan continued. "Wife is a stay at home mother. Her two eldest children are named Lila and Cooper."

"Avengers?" Harry asked. Why did that name sound familiar?

The Head of the Department of Mysteries opened her mouth to explain but it was too late. The Portkey activated, whisking both Unspeakable Teddy Lupin and Auror Harry Potter across the ocean to the United States of America.

Susan sighed.

"Good luck," she muttered. "I doubt this mission is going to be as easy as it sounds."

* * *

Both Harry and Teddy groaned as they landed.

"International Portkeys are the worst," Harry muttered as he got to his feet and brushed off some stray dirt from his jacket.

Teddy didn't say anything as he stood. Instead, he glanced down the long driveway nervously.

"Something on your mind?" Harry asked. Teddy gave him a sheepish look.

"Just slightly nervous," he admitted. "I've never done anything like this before."

"That's to be expected," Harry assured his godson with a small smile. "You've only been with the Ministry a year."

"It's not that," Teddy murmured. "I've never told anyone that their child is magical. Don't the Hogwarts professors normally do that?"

"It'll be fine," Harry said promptly. "From the stories I've heard, the parents might be disbelieving at first but with enough examples, they come around. Just be prepared to prove everything you tell them. It's best to keep things basic and try to be as open as possible. People tend to respond better in these situations if the people they're dealing with aren't intimidating or intense."

"Did you know that the professors who go to speak to muggleborns and their families here are required to have an Auror accompanying them?" Teddy asked. "Because there were a few instances where the parents tried to shoot them before explanations could be made. A few parents even tried to kill their own kids when they found out that they had magic, appalled by the idea."

"Where are you going with this, Teddy?" Harry asked, green eyes sharpening as he took in his surroundings. The younger wizard gave him a lopsided grin, the type of grin he wore when he was trying to hide the fact that he was nervous or worried.

"I'm just saying I hope there's no guns involved," Teddy admitted. "I don't know about you but getting shot at isn't my idea of a good day."

Harry gave his godson an exasperated look. "Who have you been talking to?" he asked. "Hermione or Ginny?"

"Both," Teddy replied with a laugh. He glanced down the driveway. "Shall we go?" When Harry nodded, the two wizards started the long walk from the end of the driveway to the house hidden away behind fields and trees.

Clint stared out the upstairs window, watching two figures stroll towards his house. Why were they walking instead of driving? Fury or Hill would have taken a car and they weren't due for another few hours at least.

"Laura," he called into the bathroom. "We have guests. You should stay up here with Nathaniel."

His wife frowned at his tone. "You don't think they're here for a friendly chat, do you?" she asked. Clint shook his head.

"I don't recognize them," he said. "And even from this distance, there's something about them that seems off."

"They could just be lost," Laura suggested as she went to check on her newborn son.

"If they were lost, they would be driving, not walking," Clint muttered under his breath.

"Flat tire or ran out of gas?" Laura offered up. Clint shook his head again. He was pretty sure that it was none of that. He had a feeling that it had something to do with Nathaniel.

His youngest son was a strange one. His skin had been a dark brown when they left the hospital but then it had started paling, turning into a pinky white. The two parents had been so startled that they nearly turned around and returned to the hospital. The only thing that stopped them was the fact that everything else about Nathaniel seemed normal. The infant didn't seem to be in any pain, his lungs sounded healthy, and he was breathing normally.

"Just don't shoot first," Laura said with a sigh as Clint began to head downstairs.

Before Harry and Teddy could knock or look for a doorbell, the front door opened to reveal a light-haired man with a stern expression on his face.

"Clinton Barton?" Harry asked in a friendly voice as the man blocked the doorway and consequentially from them seeing anything inside.

"Who are you?" the man asked in a low voice.

"I'm Harry Potter and this is my colleague, Edward Lupin. We'd like to talk to you and your wife for a bit."

"Why?" Clint demanded, hands twitching at his sides. Within seconds, he could be armed. Spotting the familiar action, Harry prepared himself to grab his wand.

"We're with the government," Teddy responded. "We have some information regarding your son that you need to know."

Apparently that was the wrong thing to say because the next thing Teddy knew, he had a knife pointed at him.

Hawkeye kept his eyes trained on the older man as he pointed the knife at the younger one. In the time it had taken him to draw his knife, the older one had pulled out a stick from his jacket and was now pointing it directly at Hawkeye.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For anyone that's interested, I've created a Facebook page, where I'll be posting not only my updates, but also questions, polls, statuses about my writing, update schedules, milestones, new story ideas, and basically anything writing related I feel like posting. I would love to interact with my readers so feel free to post on the page. Search Cheyla in the Facebook search bar and you should be able to find it. The page's profile picture is a black and white baby dragon so you know you've found the right page.


	4. Chapter 4

"There's no need to do anything rash," Teddy stated quietly, barely breathing. He suspected that any movement would result in him ending up with a knife somewhere in his body. "We're just here to pass on some information."

"Which government are you with?" Clint demanded, not moving. "It's clear you're not with the American government, not with those accents."

"We're here on the Congress's request," Harry said. "We have some specialties in the British version of the Congress that they currently don't, so we're called in from time to time when situations like yours pop up."

Interesting.  _The_  Congress, the older man stated. Not just  _Congress._  That was more interesting than the stick the man was holding. Clint didn't doubt that it was dangerous, as he knew that anything could potentially be a weapon.

After all, he had seen Natasha kill a man with a paperclip. And then she had trained him how to do so as well.

"Then which government agency called you in? It definitely wasn't S.H.I.E.L.D. They would have told me that you were on your way."

The younger man gave a lopsided smile as he answered the question. "The American Congress of Magic."

"And what does M.A.G.I.C. stand for?" Clint demanded, lowering his knife just a fraction. Both of the men looked at him in confusion.

"Stand for?" The younger man who had been named Lupin asked.

"F.B.I., Federal Bureau of Investigation. C.I.A., Central Intelligence Agency. S.H.I.E.L.D., Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division," Clint rattled off. "What does M.A.G.I.C. stand for?"

"Magic," the older man—Potter, Clint remembered—replied. Clint glowered at him, silently demanding further explanation. "Like spells and enchantments and witches and probably everything else that your mind associates with the word."

"Except for those sleight of hand tricks," Lupin threw in. His words received him a tired, unamused look but after a few seconds Potter nodded.

"Except for the sleight of hand tricks," he agreed. "That's purely muggle."

There were many things that Barton would have done at that moment but before he could, the younger stranger in front of him changed his hair from a light brown to an electric blue. Then to a neon pink and then to a pale blonde. Then it settled back to it's original light brown color. Hawkeye's knife was raised again.

"I could change other things, if you'd like," Lupin said quietly. "Skin color, face features, height, gender, anything you want except for age."

"If you'd invite us in, we'll be willing to answer almost any questions you or your family might ask," Potter said carefully.

"If you think—" Clint began but a voice from behind him cut him off.

"Let them in, Clint," Laura said. "They're telling the truth. I've been suspecting it myself but I didn't know how to bring it up."

Clint turned to stare at his wife in stunned disbelief. She believed them? He wasn't quite convinced.

With a resigned look on her face, Laura stepped closer to the door and pulled Clint's arm down, the knife with it. Then she drew her husband inside, letting the other two men step inside.

Once the knife no longer posed an immediate threat, Harry lowered his wand. He didn't relax completely, though, and kept it in his hand, hanging at his side.

"Two of my cousins have magic," Laura explained as she showed the two guests to the living room. The group of four sat down, body language tense. "They got it from their father, my uncle, who was a muggleborn wizard. Because of it, they went to a boarding school from the time they were six until they turned eighteen."

"Twelve years?" Teddy asked, raising an eyebrow. "That's quite a long time. In Britain, it's only seven years that's required."

"Here in the States, they combine a muggle education with their magical education," Harry murmured quietly. "Most muggles start their education at six or before, so it's easier to integrate magical children into the community from the time they reach schooling age rather than taking them out of a muggle school and thrusting them into a magical school with only a summer to try and comprehend everything they learn."

"I always knew about magic, having grown up in the same neighborhood as my cousins, but I never expected that any of my children would inherit the ability. After all, I don't have magic and neither does Clint, as far as I know," Laura admitted.

"Don't tell me otherwise," the Avenger muttered. "I have enough headaches to deal with and I don't need another one."

"The American Congress of Magic keeps an eye on families that have magic in their blood," Harry explained. "It's common for the magical branch of government in every country to keep an eye on things like that. It's necessary for children to be taught magic, otherwise there are usually accidents that result in the deaths of either the witch or wizard or of others. A nurse at the hospital alerted them about your youngest child and they called us in to help with explanations."

"Does this have something to do with Nathaniel changing skin colors on the way back from the hospital?" Laura inquired.

"Or how he changed gender in her womb?" Clint added. At Harry and Teddy's confused looks, Laura filled them in on their unique doctor appointment.

"It's not quite that simple," Teddy said carefully. "Even being a wizard, Nathaniel is still very unique. He's what is known as a metamorphmagus, which is a wizard or witch that has the ability to change their appearance at will, without the use of spells or potions. There's only a handful of us in the world."

"Us?" Clint asked, eyes sharpening and gazing at Teddy, who shifted awkwardly.

"I'm one as well," he admitted. "Which is why I was requested to come. The Congress doesn't have any metamorphmagi in their employment and I'm one of the most well known. I also work for the British Ministry of Magic, which the American Congress works with from time to time."

"And how did my son get this ability?" Clint demanded. "Is it hereditary or did something else happen?"

"It's normally hereditary," Teddy explained. "I inherited my ability from my mother. However, in your son's case, we suspect that a gene may have mutated. That's typically how abilities like this start in families with no prior history."

"Mutations in muggles are an everyday thing," Harry threw in. "It's rarer in wizards and witches, but it's not unheard of. Parseltongue is a similar ability that originated from a mutation."

"So the rumors are true," Clint murmured, mind racing, as Laura asked "Muggles? Parseltongue?" How many of the so-called mutants that S.H.I.E.L.D. monitored were really just wizards and witches that didn't hide their abilities? Were the mutants technically magical or were they non-magical people with some extra abilities?

S.H.I.E.L.D. would definitely have to look into that.

"Muggles are people with no magic," Harry said. "And Parseltongue is the ability to talk to snakes. It's even rarer than metamorphmagi."

What followed next was hours upon hours of conversation, explanations, and magical displays. Both Clint and Laura were intent on learning everything they could about magic and Nathaniel's rare abilities and it was early the next morning when the conversation began to slow. There had been a brief break for dinner—pizza had been ordered since Laura was too tired to cook and Clint had no intentions on leaving her alone in the living room with Harry and Teddy while he cooked. Lila and Cooper had sat in for a while at the beginning, learning the basics of what they could expect from their new brother, but the more serious questions were saved for after they had gone to bed.

Since the time they finished talking was normally when people would be fast asleep, Harry and Teddy found themselves staying the night. Clint hadn't been thrilled by Laura's offer but he couldn't really throw them out of the house in the middle of the night when neither man had showed any intention to harm.

"One last question," Laura said as she showed Harry and Teddy to the guest room that would eventually become a nursery. "Nathaniel has already changed gender on us a few times. Is he truly a boy or should we have a birth certificate made with the name Natasha on it?"

"Gender is just a social construct," Teddy said. Harry rolled his green eyes at the reply.

"Speaking as someone who helped raise a metamorphmagus," he said. "It's best to just go with the flow. Let Nathaniel choose whatever he wants and don't try to push him into looking like anything in particular. It would do more harm than good, I believe. Take Teddy for example. He looks a lot like his father now, but there were a few years when he took after his mother. And then there were another few years when he would change everything everyday except for his hair, which was always blue. It'll be complicated and confusing at first but you'll soon figure out what to expect."

"The American Congress will make some temporary documents listing Nathaniel as Natasha on the days he decides that a female form is more suiting. They can be adjusted accordingly when Nathaniel gets older," Teddy added, rubbing his eyes. A headache was starting to form from staying up so late. "The only thing I would caution against would be letting Nathaniel choose any other name than Natasha. I've always been Teddy or Edward, depending on how much trouble I was in at the time. The only time that would change is if I had to go undercover."

Laura and Clint nodded before leaving the two wizards to get ready for bed.

"Are you calmer now that you know what's going on?" Laura asked as she and Clint slipped under the covers. Her husband was silent for a few minutes before he answered.

"I wish I could say yes," he admitted. "But there's too many variables to consider. I had an idea of who my enemies were but now I've learned that there's another group of people that I know next to nothing about. Those two found us easily enough, which is saying something since you and the children aren't even on S.H.I.E.L.D.'s records. That means others would be able to find us just as easily. I'd feel better knowing that there was something I could do about that. Your safety is always my priority."

"We can ask about it in the morning," Laura murmured, sounding half asleep. "And we'll learn as we go. It'll be fine, Clint."

He wished he could believe his wife but the worries wouldn't disappear that quickly.

It was just after three in the morning when the adults fell asleep.

It was a little before six when a black SUV pulled up next to the house.


	5. Chapter 5

Upon hearing the tires crunch the gravel on the driveway, Clint's eyes snapped open and he carefully extracted himself from the bed. As silently as he could, he went toward the window to see who had arrived now.

Seeing familiar faces exit the vehicle, Clint exhaled the breath he had been holding and left the room as quietly as he could. Laura hadn't stirred yet and she wouldn't for another few minutes, when his side of the bed would start to cool down.

As the spy made his way downstairs, he was vaguely aware of someone moving about in the kitchen. He would have to check that out once he let his guests in.

"Report, Barton," Fury ordered as soon as Clint opened the door to let the two men in.

"I was right in thinking that my son has a genetic mutation of sorts," Clint stated. "However, it wasn't the type I was thinking about."

"Then what type is it?" Fury demanded. His eyes focused on a dark head that poked its head around the wall that divided the kitchen from the entrance hall. "Never mind," the one-eyed man remarked dryly. "A magical mutation, I'm guessing?"

Clint nodded and glanced at Harry, who had stepped fully out of the kitchen. "You know him?" he asked Fury and Coulson, jerking his head toward Harry.

"We've had limited interactions," Harry replied easily. "Mostly in London, when S.H.I.E.L.D. was investigating Thor's activities there. The Aurors—sort of like the magical police—were investigating to make sure that no one in our community was involved. I was in charge at the time."

"I'm surprised your people aren't getting more brazen," Fury commented. "I would have thought that with the increasing amount of alien visits and rumors of mutants, that your people wouldn't hesitate to use magic out in the open anymore."

Harry crossed his arms and frowned. "Our laws are still in place and after centuries of seeing them enforced, people respect them. Not to mention that aside from a few cases in London, most of those things are happening here in the States. Wizards and witches are oblivious to most happenings in the muggle world, even more so when it happens abroad. It wouldn't surprise me if there were still a few pureblood families that thought that the States are still the Colonies."

"It astounds me that you've gone unnoticed for so long with that attitude," Fury replied. Harry smirked.

"Memory spells are useful like that," he stated. "And don't act like S.H.I.E.L.D. hasn't used a few of our tricks to remain secret as well. I'm familiar with their methods."

Fury didn't say anything to either confirm or deny Harry's claims.

"What are you doing here in the States, Mr. Potter?" Phil Coulson asked. "In one of our agent's homes?"

"Besides making breakfast? Your government called me and my partner in," Harry stated. "We're more equipped with explaining certain things about the wizarding world."

"The mutation you were mentioning?" Fury asked Clint, who nodded.

"Nathaniel is what's known as a metamorphmagus," he stated. "Apparently the American magical government doesn't have any in their employment so they had to call in a few favors."

"If we move into the kitchen, I'll explain everything again while we eat breakfast," Harry decided.

"And what sort of breakfast did you make?" Fury inquired, watching Harry carefully. "Toad spleens and salamander skin?"

"That's potions, not cooking," Harry snapped, looking slightly offended. "Eggs and bacon, if you must know. Nothing that's been poisoned, but if that does miraculously happen, I have a bezoar on hand to shove down your throat."

From the tone of his voice, it sounded like Harry was hoping that he got the chance to do so.

"Magic has always been an area that S.H.I.E.L.D. has been reluctant to deal with," Coulson murmured to Clint. "It might be denied but S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn't work well with other organizations and the magical governments are mostly the same."

"That might be changing," Harry informed them, thinking back to his secondary mission, the one that he would have to start next week at the latest.

"Like what? An intercontinental department of Aurors?" Fury asked, raising an eyebrow. Harry quirked an eyebrow of his own.

"You have spies in the American Congress of Magic," he realized.

"S.H.I.E.L.D. has spies everywhere," Fury acknowledged. "Just because we don't like working with the magical governments doesn't mean that we aren't aware of their actions."

"How exactly does S.H.I.E.L.D. recruit their wizarding spies?" Harry asked. "I can't imagine that there's many witches or wizards that would seek out an agency like yours."

"We have our ways," Fury replied. Clint and Phil were sure that there would have been more questions and partial answers if Laura hadn't come down with a crying Nathaniel.

"Nick, Phil," Laura greeted the two newcomers. She didn't look surprised to see them.

"Is that Nathaniel?" Coulson asked. "Can I see him?"

Laura nodded and passed the infant over. Watching Harry, Clint realized that the wizard was watching both Phil and Fury carefully, like he expected that they would disappear with his son at any moment.

So Harry was aware of something Clint had realized since his son's abilities had been explained to him. With Nathaniel being able to change every part of him except his age, he would make the perfect spy when he was old enough. Add magic to the equation and his son could be a formidable enemy if trained long and hard enough.

Clint wasn't naïve enough to ignore the probability that S.H.I.E.L.D. would court his son once he was old enough to be trained. They had done it with him once they were aware of his abilities and there were plenty of organizations in history that had used similar methods. S.H.I.E.L.D. would probably be only the first to come after his son.

Teddy joined the group soon afterwards and over breakfast, a second round of explanations was made. It took less time than the previous night as Phil and Nick were already aware of magic and the basics of the magical community.

At the end of breakfast, Fury's phone buzzed. He glanced at it and sighed.

"A mission?" Clint asked, getting to his feet.

"Not for you," Fury decided. "Stay here for the rest of the week with your family. Unless there's another alien invasion, I won't be calling you in."

Clint nodded as he sat back down.

"How long are you staying?" Coulson asked Harry, who glanced at Teddy.

"Teddy's supposed to stay with the family for a few weeks to show them how to handle certain situations, like accidental magic and how to keep others from noticing Nathaniel's changes when they're out in public," Harry said. "At some point in the next week, I'll be going to New York to start my other task." Leaving Teddy alone wasn't textbook but Harry knew that his godson would be able to take care of himself. He had trained to be an Auror before ultimately deciding that he would be better suited for the Department of Mysteries.

"Then Lupin can stay here," Fury decided. "And get settled in while you come back with us. We were headed that way before Barton called us. You'd want to get started as soon as possible, I suspect."

"I can get to New York on my own," Harry said quickly. Even the thought of him being in a car or plane that was under Fury's control made him nervous. "Don't really like planes or cars, you see. There's too many things that could go wrong and it's such an enclosed space."

"I insist, Potter," Fury said firmly. Harry gave him a dry smile.

"Magical means of traveling are faster," Harry reminded the spy. "And like you said, I want to get started as soon as possible."

Fury didn't like having his own words used against him. He glared at Harry, who began to clear up breakfast.

"You're fine with Lupin staying when I'm gone after next week?" Clint asked Laura quietly. Laura glanced at the younger wizard before nodding with a smile.

"It'll be fine," she assured her husband. "He'll be a lot more help than my cousins and I don't think he'll draw too much attention. If anyone asks questions, I'll just say that he's family that came to help with the children while you were away."

"If anything happens—" Clint began but Laura cut him off.

"They wouldn't be splitting up if they weren't confident in the other's abilities to take of themselves," she pointed out. "And I can take care of most situations. We'll be fine. You're not leaving for another week, so don't start worrying yet."

It was hard to argue with his wife when she sounded so rational, Clint thought.

When Harry was done cleaning up, he checked the room he had stayed in overnight to make sure nothing was left behind. He would be leaving as soon as possible to prevent Fury and Coulson from having enough time to convince him to travel back to New York with them.

"Going already?" Fury asked as Harry returned downstairs. Harry shrugged.

"Teddy has things in hand," he said. "Since he's not being threatened, I'm no longer needed. I hope that doesn't change."

"It shouldn't," Fury stated. "He has nothing to worry about from S.H.I.E.L.D."

"It's not S.H.I.E.L.D. I'm concerned about," Harry replied. "It's the other organizations I'm concerned about, like Hydra."

Fury didn't even bat an eye at the mention of Hydra. Instead he only sighed. "What do you know about Hydra?" he asked.

"We know that because of them, S.H.I.E.L.D. was disbanded for some time and has only started building up again," Harry said. "So stop trying to make it seem like S.H.I.E.L.D. has eyes everywhere. I'm sure that was true at some point and that you have some of those eyes back but you and I both know that S.H.I.E.L.D.'s reach doesn't extend as far as it used to."

His piece said, Harry pulled out his wand and apparated away. When he landed, he was in Actu Alley, New York.


	6. Chapter 6

While Diagon Alley had many businesses and buildings that predated the Great Fire of 1666, the only way to describe Actu Alley was completely modern. Harry had been there only once before and he had forgotten about the sheer amount of skyscrapers there were on that one street. In one building alone, there was a wand shop, a book store, an antiques shop, an apothecary—on just one floor.

After steadying himself from his landing, Harry strode off down the street, his destination already in mind. The American Congress of Magic had offices and Auror outposts in every major wizarding street across the nation, so Harry would have easy access to the Washington D.C. headquarters from the New York office.

Once he found it.

It turned out that he had apparated to the wrong side of the alley. He was on one end and the Congress's office was on the other end. It would have been fine but Actu Alley was at least three times the length of Diagon Alley.

Harry took his time getting to the Auror outpost on the other side of the alley, knowing that it would be a few hours at least before Fury could even attempt to catch up with him. The man had a lot of resources to work with and Harry didn't doubt that the head of S.H.I.E.L.D. would be able to find Actu Alley or the American Congress of Magic but that didn't mean he would make it easy for Fury.

Walking into the outpost, Harry felt a sense of familiarity. England and the United States were different in many regards but both Auror departments ran very similarly. It could have been because the American Aurors had based their department on the British version or because a lot of American Aurors had come over during the war to help out Britain, but either way, stepping into the Auror outpost felt a lot like coming home for Harry.

"I'm looking for Stensky?" Harry said, looking around. "I know she's in D.C. so can I use the floo?"

The two Aurors sitting behind the desk traded looks.

"Of course," the younger of the pair stated. "We just need some information and we'll have to do a quick search."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "A search?"

"It's just procedure," the older Auror said quickly. "Regulations have been tightened lately, so we're required to search everyone that's going into the Congress building. Wand checks, bag searches, the usual."

Harry raised his other eyebrow but said nothing, instead passing over his wand reluctantly. American paranoia. It was almost on par with how paranoid Moody used to be.

"What's your business with Stensky?" the younger Auror asked as Harry's wand was examined.

"Classified business," Harry replied curtly. "She knows I'm coming but didn't know when I would show up today."

"Name?"

"Harry Potter?"

The older Auror started at the name before quickly passing back Harry's wand.

"Yes, you were on her list, Mr. Potter," he said smoothly. "Any bags or extension charms on your jacket?"

"No," Harry lied. "Can I go through now?"

"Of course, Mr. Potter," the older Auror stated. "Have a nice day."

Harry nodded before stepping toward the fireplace that was behind the desk. He grabbed a handful of the powder and threw it in the fireplace, waiting for the green flames to spring up.

"Auror headquarters," he said clearly and stepped into the flames. When he stepped out, there was a door on the other side of the hallway, clearly marking that he had reached his destination.

The Auror Headquarters of the United States wasn't as busy as Harry had seen it be in the past. Half of the cubicles and offices Harry passed once he had opened the door and stepped inside the office were empty.

"Mr. Potter!"

Harry's head snapped around as he heard his name called. A small smile appeared on his lips when he recognized the woman who had addressed him.

"Mrs. Stensky," he greeted the woman. "The office is looking a little empty, I see."

"It's a Friday," she said. "My employees always try to work from home if they can on Fridays. You also just missed a call. Half of the office was called out, it seemed."

"Did something major happen?" Harry asked as he was led to the back of the office space, into a corner office. "I heard that regulations have been tightened recently."

"Just an illegal animal trafficking ring," Stensky replied. "They've got it well in hand. Regulations have been tight for a few years now, since the alien invasion."

"How's that cleanup coming?" Harry asked.

"Nearly done, just in time for Stark and the rest of the Avengers to make a mess elsewhere in the world. I'm glad they're muggles and out of my jurisdiction," Stensky said. "Otherwise, I would have quit by now."

Harry smirked. "I can't imagine why," he said. "Now what's first on our agenda?"

"Setting up the new department," Natalya Stensky stated. "It's about time that you Brits finally saw reason. I've been suggesting that we have a liaison office since I came to office and I know that my predecessor attempted as well. This has been a decade in the making."

Harry held back a wince. Had it really been that long? He had suggested it once when he had been Head Auror but the other departments in the Ministry of Magic hadn't been as willing. Too much red tape, they had reasoned. It took time and resources to set up a new department and most of that was already focused on restructuring the existing departments. Harry had given up after a few months.

"I know," he said. "It should have happened long ago, after Grindelwald. Even the muggles have had something in place for a few decades now, even if it's slightly limited. Are there any plans yet?"

"It's just the British and American Auror departments for now, along with one other agency," Natalya said. "We can bring on other countries' Auror departments in once we see how this one will run. You're just consulting for now. Once you leave, Geyer will be in charge. Your friend, Mrs. Weasley, is the head of the set-up back in England which is why we requested you."

Harry couldn't hold back the smile that appeared when Stensky's voice became stiff and her demeanor seemed almost ruffled upon mentioning Hermione. The two women didn't have the best working relationship. "What's the other agency?" he asked.

"S.H.I.E.L.D.," Natalya replied. Harry groaned.

"Why are they involved?" he demanded. "They're a muggle agency and their focus is on intelligence, not policing."

"They have a further reach than we do," came the answer. "They have a few agents that are magical and our department uses those agents quite frequently when we have to apprehend someone, especially when our suspects are among muggles."

"But it's S.H.I.E.L.D.," Harry protested, not caring if it sounded like he was whining. "Should we really be allowing them to access the magical world?"

"If they know about it, they can prevent others from finding out about us. It's helpful to have muggles on our side occasionally," Stensky stated. "I take it from your reaction, you've had interactions with S.H.I.E.L.D. before?"

"This morning, in fact," Harry muttered. "Who's the contact with S.H.I.E.L.D.?"

"Agent Coulson," Stensky answered. Harry's shoulders slumped with relief. He could deal with Coulson. "Everyone is meeting Monday morning at nine o'clock in the building where the department will be located."

"It's not in this building?" Harry asked, brow furrowing in confusion. Natalya Stensky shook her head.

"We may work with S.H.I.E.L.D. but that doesn't mean we let their agents in the Congress, especially if they're muggle. There's another building that we use for those interactions and your offices will be located there."

"What do you want me to do in the meantime?" Harry asked. "It seems that you've got things well in hand."

"Get settled in," Natalya replied. "We have an apartment set up for you and your friends sent over a few bags. Come here around eight or so on Monday and I'll show you to your new offices."

Harry nodded. A rap caused his head and Stensky's to turn toward the door as it opened.

"Fury from S.H.I.E.L.D. is here, mentioning something about needing to speak with Mr. Potter," a junior Auror stated. Harry stretched his arms above his head as he stood up.

"Head Auror Stensky here just informed me that I'm off the clock, so it'll have to wait," he said. "May I use your floo?" he asked, turning toward Natalya again. The American Head Auror gestured for him to do so.

"Should I know why you're avoiding Fury?" she asked as Harry got ready to leave. The green-eyed man shrugged.

"He gives me a headache," he said, grabbing a handful of floo powder and an address card that Stensky handed him. "See you on Monday."

 


	7. Chapter 7

The weekend passed by slowly for Harry, who wasn't used to having nothing to do. He had never been the type to just sit in his apartment every weekend and had usually taken on missions or had met up with Ron and Hermione when he wasn't going out with Ginny.

At least it was only one weekend.

It took only an hour or two to unpack his bags and then Harry spent the rest of the weekend trying to relax. Trying being the key word. There was something that kept niggling at the back of Harry's mind, a feeling that something was going to happen.

Maybe it was his encounter with Fury or maybe he was just being paranoid since he was in a new country where he didn't know the areas as well. Either way, for two nights Harry hadn't slept. Instead, he had lain awake as the night turned to day, waiting for a fire call he felt was inevitably coming.

On Sunday, Harry spent most of the day getting all that he needed for his Monday morning meetings in order. In addition to sending over his bags of clothing and personal items, copies of the paperwork filed to create the department, the action plans and agendas for the department's mission, and various other notes had been sent over. With great reluctance, Harry had sat down and gone over every piece of paper so he could answer any questions presented to him on Monday morning.

By the time he had read through everything, it was nearly midnight. Harry rubbed his hand over his face as he got to his feet and stumbled a few feet to his bedroom. The apartment he had been set up in was small but that wasn't necessarily a bad thing, especially on nights when he had been working late.

The man collapsed on top of his bed, not even having the energy to pull the covers over him. Two days with no sleep had completely exhausted him and he had to be up in six hours to get ready for work. Within seconds, Harry was asleep.

"—tter! Potter!"

Harry jerked awake when he heard his name being called. He looked around groggily, straightening the glasses that he had forgotten to take off when he had gone to bed. The flames in the fireplace in his living room were a bright orange and Harry could just barely make out the shape of a face within it.

"Potter!" a voice from the fireplace called again. Harry stumbled to his feet and made his way over there.

"Yes?" he asked, resisting the urge to yawn. He had no idea how long he had been sleeping.

"We need you to go to a crime scene. It's in the state of Maine, in a muggle town called New Canada. The streets are Maple Road and Whisper Trail. Get there as soon as possible."

"What's going on?" Harry asked, still not quite sure who he was talking to.

"You'll see when you get there. We'll be expecting you in ten minutes but make it sooner if you can."

The face in the fire disappeared and Harry groaned as he pulled himself to his feet. He glanced at the time. It was two o'clock in the morning, meaning he'd gotten just over two hours of sleep.

"Why is it always me?" Harry muttered to himself as he pulled on a change of clothes and grabbed his wand. Focusing on the information given to him, Harry felt the familiar sensation of apparating swallow him up. When it disappeared, he was standing in New Canada, Maine.

Looking around, Harry tried to find any sign of Aurors or magical activity and he quickly found it. The man paled as he recognized the green smoke floating in the sky, forming a shape he had hoped he would never see again.

The Dark Mark.

With a determined step, Harry moved towards the Dark Mark hanging in the sky, wondering which home he would find it hanging over. This was a strictly muggle town, so he had a feeling of what he would find.

A few Aurors were standing in front of the house, looking solemn. One of them waved Harry over when he spotted the British man.

"The family?" Harry asked, not bothering with any pleasantries.

"All dead," the Auror who had waved him over replied. "Courtesy of the killing curse. Father, mother, two girls, and an infant boy. Not even the family cat was spared."

"Death Eaters?" Harry asked, looking around as if he expected to see the black robes and white mask standing nearby.

"That's what we're thinking."

"What else can it be?" a female Auror asked, crossing her arms as she stared at the scene. "They were the only ones that knew this spell."

"There were a few that escaped," Harry admitted reluctantly. "And that we still haven't caught. However, our intelligence said that they were elsewhere. There was nothing that hinted that Death Eaters could be hiding in the States, especially after the ones you had caught were extradited back to England."

"Well, clearly we all missed one," the female Auror grumbled. No one looked happy about the idea.

"If we had, what made them come out of the woodwork?" her partner asked. "We might never have discovered them living here if it wasn't for this. Now we'll be hunting for the one responsible. Surely they must know that."

"Not unless they've gone insane," a third Auror stated. "Or are looking for the thrill of the kill again."

There was another possible reason, Harry realized when he caught a few Aurors glancing over at him. He doubted that it was a coincidence that a few days after he had arrived in the United States, a Death Eater suddenly appeared, attacking and killing random muggle families.

Cursing silently, Harry stepped forward to go inside the house, bracing himself for the scene that lay ahead.

* * *

"In breaking news this morning, overnight a family in New Canada, Maine was killed in their homes. Authorities have not said if they have a suspect or a motive behind this killing, but the medical examiner has stated that the cause of death for each family member was suspicious. They have not yet determined what the cause of death was but there is speculation that it was either poison or the result of a toxic gas being released inside the home. Carbon monoxide poisoning has already been ruled out. Is this just a freak accident, a one-time murder, or was murdering the family just the start of something larger that is yet to come?"

Clint Barton turned his attention to the television in the living room, where the morning news was being shown. He frowned as he read the headlines scrolling across the bottom of the screen before grabbing his phone to call Natasha.

"Maine?" she asked. "We've seen the news. It's been playing all morning."

"Is this something we're going to investigate?" Clint asked.

"Rogers wants to and Stark started making the preparations to get there but we haven't been officially called in yet," his friend and co-worker replied. "Fury's not sure if we will be or not. He's claiming that this is under the jurisdiction of another agency, under the command of someone named Potter."

Clint closed his eyes. Let it be someone else. Any other Potter but the one that had just left.

"You'd best get back quickly," Natasha said. "Fury is in a strange mood and I doubt it'll get better if you make him wait."

Damn it. It was definitely that Potter.

"I'll be on the first flight to Maine," Clint said. "Stark has a plane waiting for me?"

"It's already at the airport. Say hi to Laura and the kids for me. Bring along some pictures. Everyone wants to see photos."

Clint hung up the phone and walked back into the kitchen. Laura was frowning.

"Another mission? Can't they do this one without you?" she asked. Clint sighed.

"Possibly," he said. "But I have a feeling Lupin's companion is involved." He gestured to the teenager with a thumb. Teddy snorted as he set down his fork and knife, pausing in eating his breakfast.

"That wouldn't surprise me," Teddy said. "Harry has the tendency to attract trouble. If you get the chance, you should ask about his school years."

"I'll see if I can get home after we're done checking things out," Clint promised his wife. "If the magical community is investigating things, there's the possibility that they might not even need the Avengers."

Laura gave him a bitter smile. "If there's one thing I've learned about the Avengers, it's that you're always needed."


	8. Chapter 8

Clint gave a nod of greeting when he got out of the SUV and looked around the crime scene. The rest of the Avengers were waiting at the end of the driveway, glancing at the sky. A large green skull was floating above the house, a smoky snake spilling out of its mouth, clearly visible against the dark night sky.

There was a team of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents waiting around on the front yard, giving the local police a wide berth. Clint eyed the police warily, noting that their uniforms were different than what small towns and communities usually issued. It wasn't a subtle difference in uniform either.

The Avengers hadn't been sent to Maine, having been informed that the locals wanted to handle it themselves, despite the case making national news. Clint had stayed at home and it wasn't until there were two more cases the following two nights in other Maine towns that Fury ordered him and the Avengers on the case. This was now the fourth family annihilation.

"What's the story?" Clint asked Natasha, who was glaring at the local police.

"Same as the past three nights," she said. "Everyone in the house dead, including the family pet. No evident cause of death and gas leaks and carbon monoxide poisoning have been ruled out. The S.H.I.E.L.D. team arrived a few minutes before you did and the police were first on the scene. They're not letting anyone inside, so Fury's pissed."

"More like Fury is acting like a toddler that isn't used to his parents saying no," Stark muttered. "Never thought any locals would have the balls to go up against Fury, though."

Clint took a closer look at the police officers and frowned when he recognized a familiar face among them. Harry Potter was standing by the front door, glaring at Fury as the one-eyed man argued with what appeared to be the sergeant in charge. Fury glanced up and glared at Potter before going back to his argument.

"I don't think that explains Fury's bad mood," Clint said. "And I don't think that those are local officers."

"What tipped you off, Legolas? The nineteen-fifties police uniform?"

Clint rolled his eyes at Stark's attitude. The nickname or sarcasm would have irritated him a year or two ago but he had learned to deal with it.

"I know one of them," he admitted.

"Which one?" Natasha asked, scanning the police again.

"The one by the front door."

Natasha's eyes went where she was directed. "Potter?"

"You know his name?" Clint asked his best friend.

"Hard not to when Fury spat out his name upon seeing him. From their greeting, we gathered that they don't exactly get along."

Clint shook his head, remembering the meeting between the two men in his kitchen. Was that really less than a week ago?

"Imagine that, someone not getting along with Fury," Stark drawled, ignoring Steve Roger's glare at his comments. "Isn't Potter the one who's supposedly in charge of the investigation? Why is he letting the sergeant doing all of the work?"

"More important, how do you know Potter?" Natasha interrupted.

"It's a long story," Clint sighed, thinking back to earlier in the week. He still hadn't processed all of the information he had been given during that night.

There was a crack of thunder and a form came plummeting toward the earth, straight through the strange green mark floating in the sky. It dissipated, clearing the sky.

"Thor!" Steve called, gesturing the large man over. The god barreled toward the small team, giving the police officers confused and slightly amazed looks.

"They are not the normal type we deal with," Thor announced loudly when he reached the group.

"Everyone's reached the same conclusion," Steve agreed. "Any ideas?"

"Some," Thor stated. "Are they on our side?"

"So far," Natasha remarked, though she seemed dubious.

"Then they are not a threat," Thor concluded in a confident tone before striding off to talk to some of the strange police officers. After a few brief conversations, he was directed to Potter, who was still guarding the doorway. The green-eyed man looked stricken by the god's approach.

"Right, we've gotten permission to go inside and do whatever we need to. Stark, get your gear," Fury snapped. "I've been informed that everyone but Stensky and Potter will be leaving." The man didn't look pleased.

"It's not gear," Tony protested as he grabbed a few items, including his computers.

"I don't care what you call it," Fury growled. The man glared at Harry as he approached the house. Harry glared back as he stepped aside but no words were exchanged as the Avengers entered the home.

The bodies of the family were laid out in the living room, where the S.H.I.E.L.D. team had started photographing them.

"All were found in their beds except for the dog, which was in its kennel," one of them informed the Avengers. He sounded disgusted that the bodies had been moved without them taking photographs. It was sloppy work.

"What's the point of killing a dog that can't get to you?" Steve asked, glancing toward the kitchen where the kennel was located. The small creature lay inside, looking like it was sleeping.

"Maybe to prevent it from barking?" Natasha suggested.

"The dog was killed last," a voice drawled from the doorway. Natasha glanced back to see Potter had entered the house. "Parents were killed first, then the toddler, and finally the dog."

"So you can figure that out but you can't give us the names of any suspects?" Fury demanded.

"I could but you're not going to find them," Potter replied. "All of our suspects have been on the run for nearly two decades by now. We had S.H.I.E.L.D. try to find them five years ago and you came up blank then. I doubt this time will be any different, especially now that you're down a significant number of resources."

"Gentlemen, please," the sergeant now identified as Stensky said. "Fury, can you get us those profiles while your men are examining the bodies? I'm sure that's all Potter wants." She gave the younger man a pointed look and Stark snorted with amusement at the wide-eyed look of innocence on Potter's face.

"Stark, bring up the profiles on all of the Avengers that I know you've got stowed away on your computer," Fury demanded. Both Potter and Stensky grimaced.

"Printed would be preferable," Potter said.

"Does it look like I carry a printer around everywhere I go?" Fury snapped. "You'll make do with a computer."

"Then I'll need the assistance of one of your agents," Potter stated.

"The hell you'll get it," came a snarled reply.

"There's printed copies in my bag," Tony said, diffusing the argument. The arc reactor in his chest had started to vibrate as things had gotten heated up, the first time he had experienced something like that. "I keep them around for Steve over there, who still can't locate the power button on a computer."

Natasha and Clint snorted as Steve crossed his arms but didn't deny Tony's words. The first Avenger pulled the files out of Tony's bag and passed them over to Harry, who flipped to the first page.

"I'll be in the kitchen," he announced as he took in the volume of information. "Call if you have any questions."

"So why are we here?" Steve asked once Harry and sergeant Stensky had left the room. "This isn't our typical case."

"Four families killed in four nights," Fury said. "It doesn't seem like this person will stop and Stensky's department doesn't think they will either. Their department is small—just started—and S.H.I.E.L.D. offered to help."

"Demanded is more like it," Tony muttered. "Why is S.H.I.E.L.D. so interested in this?"

"Like I said, the department is new. We're keeping an eye on them," Fury said.

"And Potter," Steve realized.

"And Potter," Fury confirmed. "I've managed to convince them to work with the Avengers, though they're skeptical. Don't let this department shut you out."

Fury stepped toward the team of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents when they called him over, leaving the Avengers to mull around the living room with nothing to do.

"I'm curious about this Potter," Steve said. "The last person that irritated him that badly was Loki, if I remember correctly."

Thor gave a loud laugh at that.

"Why is that funny?" Natasha demanded. "We don't need to deal with another person like your brother right now."

"Do not worry," Thor said, still chuckling. "Harry is no Loki, but the resemblance between the two is quite funny. You too will find it funny once everything is out in the open."

As the rest of the Avengers demanded that Thor tell them what he knew, Clint frowned and he stared in the direction of the kitchen, where he knew Harry was sitting. Now that it had been pointed out, the resemblance between Potter and Loki was quite unnerving, not funny like Thor thought. It set him on edge.


	9. Chapter 9

Harry flipped through the printed profiles he had been provided with, frowning as he pushed three off of the pile to make a second stack. The lights flickered around him as his frown deepened when Harry considered the three files and the contents within it.

"Are we sure that the deaths have nothing to do with faulty electricity?" the wizard heard one of the Avengers ask. "The lights have been flickering on and off since we got here."

"It doesn't work that way, Rogers," someone explained with a small sigh. "If it was something to do with electricity, there would be signs of electrocution or a fire."

"Still, shouldn't Stark look at it?" Steve pushed.

Harry lifted his head up from his examination of the papers in front of him. "The electricity isn't faulty," he announced. "The cause of death has already been identified. All we want you to do is look for similarities between the families and find out why they or these locations were targeted in hopes of preventing any more attacks."

"What's the cause of death?"

Harry regarded the red-haired woman who had spoken up carefully before answering. "That's classified."

Natasha scowled at him but Harry returned to his review of the files, successfully preventing any further questions. The wizard wasn't thrilled about the decision to have the Avengers help with this case but it had been made and now he had to deal with it. Harry wasn't overly worried, knowing that there was plenty busy-work that he could assign the team to do that wouldn't reveal any sensitive information but there were three Avengers in particular he was concerned about.

Clint Barton, the Avenger who knew about the existence of magic and the wizarding world.

Thor, the god who was used to being surrounded by magic and who Harry couldn't completely trust to keep his mouth shut about magic on Earth.

Lastly, Tony Stark, the genius whose technology could be affected by magic. Normally Harry wouldn't have been too concerned but he had a feeling that Stark would easily put two and two together. The man was already suspicious due to Harry's presence.

The wizard tapped his fingers on the side of the table as he thought. It would be so much easier if the Avengers knew about magic but Harry wasn't confident that they would be able to keep the existence of it a secret. After all, the Avengers weren't exactly known for their subtlety. New York, South Africa, Seoul, and Sokovia were all prime examples of that.

Harry took a deep breath and the flickering of the lights stopped as the wizard relaxed.

"And how do you suggest we try and find these future victims?" Natasha asked, drawing Harry's attention once again.

"Get access to S.H.I.E.L.D's surveillance systems," Harry said. "Set up something that monitors unusual activity. I'm sure that will be easy for some of you and your surveillance is more expansive than my department's currently is."

"Unusual activity meaning what?" Tony asked, coming in from outside and leaning against the doorframe. He frowned as the arc reactor didn't act any differently than normal. Interesting. So it wasn't just something about Potter's presence. There were other factors involved. "Besides the green floating skull thing but from what I've gathered, that typically happens after everyone literally drops dead."

Harry wanted to smile but it came off as a grimace since he knew that it was slightly wrong to laugh and joke and seem happy at a homicide scene, even if there was no one around to witness it besides the people he was working with. "Sudden power loss or power surges," he suggested. "Electricity or technology being disrupted."

"Like flickering lights?" Tony asked, pointedly looking around at the kitchen lights before looking directly at Harry. The wizard met his gaze head on without flinching before sliding his eyes over to Steve Rogers, who had a triumphant look on his face.

"Like flickering lights," he agreed. "Though I doubt it would be something as commonplace as that."

"Why do I get the feeling that this is turning into something Supernatural-esque?" he asked no one in particular before sighing and crossing his arms as he leaned against the doorframe. "Is it demons? Or ghosts? Well, as long as it's not aliens again."

Thor let out a booming laugh. "It is certainly not beings from another realm this time, my metal friend. This is strictly an earthly matter."

"So why are you here?" Harry asked carefully. "Why would an Asgardian get involved with this?"

The god of thunder glanced at Harry and the amused glint in his eyes faded. "I protect my friends from the threats that face them, even if they are earthly threats."

Harry inclined his head very slightly, only giving the smallest indication that he had received Thor's warning. He glanced over at the other Avengers, who were frowning as they regarded the pair's interaction.

"Is that all we're going to do?" Steve asked. "Monitor for something that may not even indicate a threat?"

"That's all you _can_ do at this point," Harry said. "It's hard to move forward when there are no witnesses that can hint at who our suspect might be."

"All we can do," Steve muttered. "But there's something you can do, you and your department."

"Catch up on paperwork," Harry said, deciding to take the profiles and shove them into the inside of his jacket, slipping them into an extended pocket. "Try and be prepared for tomorrow night."

"You say that like it's a certainty there will be another attack then."

"Four families, four nights," Harry reminded them. "In my experience, it's better to be prepared for something that never happens than to be unprepared for something that does."

"That sounded a lot like some logic that Fury would use," Tony muttered as he watched Potter leave the house. "And he's in charge of some top secret department that most people don't know about. No wonder the two don't get on. They're way too similar."

There was silence for a few minutes before Tony spoke up again. "Is anyone else wondering how that guy's getting home? It's not like this is New York; Maine isn't known for their public transportation and all of his people left before him. With an accent like that, I doubt he's local."

Clint bit his tongue to avoid answering the question. He didn't want to be the one to explain about magic, especially when it was obvious that everyone else that knew about it was trying to keep it a secret. Instead, the archer wondered back into the living room, stopping in his tracks when he saw the bodies of the family still lying there.

"Once we leave, S.H.I.E.L.D. is taking the bodies for autopsy," Natasha said, having followed her friend from the kitchen. "Though I don't know how much help an autopsy will be, especially if Potter's telling the truth and the cause of death is classified." Clint continued to stare blankly at the bodies, his eyes having lingered on the tiny toddler lain between her parents.

"Did everything go okay with the birth?" Natasha asked quietly. "You never contacted me, not even to say that you got home."

"It went fine," Clint murmured. "Laura got through it with barely a wince. We brought Nathaniel home that same day."

"Nathaniel?" Natasha questioned. "I thought it was…Well, I guess that doesn't matter so much as long as everything's fine but somehow…I expect that it's not."

"I'm just concerned for his future," Clint said after a minute.

"Was he…was he born with a condition?" Natasha asked. "A lifelong thing?"

"Yeah, something like that."

"Clint—" The use of his name made Barton glance towards Natasha, finally tearing his gaze away from the dead family. "I'm sorry. Still, I know that you and Laura will do your best to raise him."

Clint nodded and headed for the door. The tension in the air was starting to get to him and he had the sudden urge for fresh air. Natasha continued to follow him out the door and onto the porch. The sun was just beginning to rise and Clint knew that the team would have to leave soon if they didn't want to attract the attention of the neighborhood's residents.

"Is this condition he was born with…is it a mutation?" Natasha asked carefully. For a long while she thought her friend wouldn't reply but then he gave a small shrug.

"In a way," Clint admitted. "It makes me nervous because I don't want him to become like us. I chose the life of a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent for myself but that doesn't mean I want my children to follow in my footsteps, even if they have the perfect set of talents to do so."

"Then we'll make sure that he won't," Natasha said firmly. "Unless it's something that he truly wants to do. At least it's something like that. You had me thinking that it was something terminal."

If only, Clint thought and then closed his eyes in faint horror. Was he truly wary of magic to the point where he would rather that his infant son was dying than have magic? He was a horrible parent.

Natasha rested a hand on Clint's arm and barely blinked when he went to pull a knife, resting it against her throat.

"Clint, it'll be fine," she assured the Avenger. "He'll be fine, you'll be fine, your entire family will be fine. Now put your worries to rest. We have bigger things to worry about."

Realizing what he had done, Barton pulled away his knife and sheathed it, taking a deep breath. "Yeah, bigger things," he agreed. "Like finding where this sick bastard is going to strike next."


	10. Chapter 10

“Mr. Stark, Director Fury is on the line.”

Tony sighed as Jarvis’s voice rang throughout the lab. “Put him through,” the man said reluctantly after doing a quick sweep to make sure that there was nothing out that he wasn’t supposed to have.

“Stark, get the team together. There’s been another attack.”

Tony glanced at a computer screen out of the corner of his eye. “Where?” he asked.

“Lebanon.”

Tony raised an eyebrow. “The country?”

“Lebanon, New Hampshire,” Fury elaborated. “This person’s moved states.”

Tony sighed. “I’ll get the team. We’ll be there in two hours max.”

“Make it sooner. No doubt Potter’s team is already there.” Fury looked disgusted just at the thought. As the line disconnected, Tony looked around his lab once more.

“Jarvis, was Lebanon anywhere on that tracking system I set up?” he asked, focusing on the computer screen which was displaying areas around the country that had experienced power outages or surges or any unusual activity regarding technology and electricity.

“Yes sir,” Jarvis said and all but one flag on the screen faded. Tony regarded it with skepticism. “Anything that made it distinct from the others?”

“No sir, but it is the most recent detection of the batch. It only appeared within the past twenty minutes.”

“Twenty minute response time,” Tony muttered. “That’s certainly something.”

“You are referring to Potter and his team already being at the scene.”

“Wake the others, Jarvis,” Tony decided. “And get the plane ready.”

* * *

“New Hampshire?” Steve asked as the plane started to take off twenty minutes later. “It’s not Maine anymore?”

“They’re branching out or maybe this sick bastard got tired of Maine,” Tony suggested. “I mean, how exciting can Maine be? All it has is lobster.”

The rest of the Avengers merely rolled their eyes or shook their heads at his comments.

“This person is moving, not staying in one place,” Steve pointed out. “If they’ve crossed state lines, what’s going to stop them from going international?”

“We will,” Clint said firmly. “But it’s going to be hard to track them unless we have an idea of where they’re going and how they’re moving from place to place. Somehow they’re getting past the roadblocks local police have been setting up without being noticed.”

“That’s not really hard to do,” Tony muttered under his breath. “Piece of cake.”

“We’ve worked with less,” Natasha reminded him, ignoring Stark’s comments. “We’ll figure this one out as well.”

“Doesn’t mean that I don’t hope that these bastards would make things easy for once,” Clint grumbled. “A sign would be nice from time to time, preferably with flashing neon lights.”

Natasha smirked and Tony chuckled as he powered on the screen and computer system near the front of the plane.

“What’s that?” Steve asked as Tony brought up a map of the United States with certain areas flagged. As they watched, a handful of flags appeared on the west coast. 

“I did what Potter suggested and started monitoring the country for power surges and power outages. Lebanon appeared on this map shortly before Fury called, so it’s a decent start but something’s missing and I have a feeling that it’s that thing that Fury, Potter, and Potter’s team have been not willing to talk about. If I want to narrow these down further, I need to know what they’re keeping from us, but none of the systems that I’ve tapped into seem to have any information about the subject. Legolas, you’re up.”

“Up? As in up in the air? Because that applies to everyone, not just me.”

Stark glared at his teammate who gave him a flat look.

“I meant, you’re next in the conversation. You and Thor have information that the rest of us don’t and I don’t want to deal with the Shakespeare-style speaking right now. Now, are you going to fill us in ever or do I need to let Red convince you.”

Clint glanced over at Natasha, who was looking at him expectantly. Their eyes met and Clint held her gaze for a few seconds before he sighed.

“You’re not going to like what I have to say,” he warned. “And I won’t be able to answer most of the questions I’ll know you have. I’m still trying to wrap my mind around it myself.”

“An actual answer anytime would do. Anytime,” Tony prodded.

“One word,” Clint said. “Magic.”

There was silence for a second or two before Tony started to chuckle, which turned into full out laughter. “Sure,” he said between laughs. “Magic. I can’t wait for the capes and cards and rabbits to come out.”

Clint grimaced. If only it was that. “I’m sure there’s a more scientific term that you could use but that’s the term they use and that you’ll hear the most,” he said. “And as far as I’ve seen, there’s been no rabbits and cards.”

“But there’s capes?” 

“Magic?” Steve asked, voice filled with skepticism. “If that’s even possible, what kind are we talking about? A genetic mutation? Or abilities that have been developed through experimental science?”

“From what I’ve seen, it’s not focused on one set of abilities like telekinesis. Within thirty minutes, I saw a teapot sing, a coffee table turn into a pig, a book levitate and fly across the room, and a man turn his mouth into a bird’s beak,” Clint said, recalling the examples Potter and Lupin showed him.

“So it’s pretty much useless then.”

“Potter was able to transport himself from my house to the center of New York City in a matter of minutes,” Clint added, giving a pointed look to Tony. “And from what we’ve been seeing, it’s possible to kill entire families without a mark on their bodies.”

In the resulting silence, the team of Avengers felt the plane begin its descent. The landing gears had just deployed when Tony was the one to break the silence. “And what do they call themselves?”

“Wizards and witches,” Clint said.

“No, I mean their form of government. What’s it called?”

“The American Congress of Magic,” was his answer after a few seconds.

“Son of a bitch,” Tony muttered to himself. “I really thought those letters were a poor attempt at a joke.”

“Letters?” Steve questioned. “They’ve actually contacted you?”

“Apparently,” Tony said with a shrug of his shoulders. “They’ve shown up from time to time, more often since I started redirecting my interests into other fields than weapons, usually with requests to develop electronics that can run off of magic. I thought the requests absurd at the time so I never gave them any thought before but now I’m looking forward to the next one I receive.”

Natasha stretched and repositioned herself so she could whisper in Clint’s ear without anyone else on the plane overhearing. “Kid in a candy shop. Is letting Stark learn about magic really a good idea? Remember Ultron.”

“He was going to find out about it one way or another,” Clint whispered back as he turned his neck from side to side in an attempt to crack it. “Let him be Potter’s problem.”

Natasha smirked. “Share Fury’s opinion of the man?”

“No, but when possible, I let others handle things. We already do enough between fighting enemies and saving the world.”

“Oi, Spy One and Spy Two, I would have thought that you were observant enough to notice that we’ve landed. Let’s get a move on, since we’re already behind schedule,” Tony called as the plane doors opened.

“Behind who’s schedule?” Natasha called after the man but she received no reply. As the two spies followed the rest of the Avengers off of the plane, everyone sighed when they realized they were in a field and a farmhouse with green smoke hanging over it was just down a dirt road.

“Figured I would save us some time,” Tony stated when he noticed the others’ looks. “It wasn’t hard to figure out where to go.”

When the group reached the farmhouse, they were greeted by three familiar faces.

“My friends, good morning!” Thor boomed from the porch. “And a good landing, my iron friend!”

“Let’s just hope that whoever owns the farm thinks so as well when he finds most of his crops flattened,” Clint read from Potter’s lips. His companion Stensky replied but the archer wasn’t able to read her response as most of her mouth was angled away from him. Whatever she said clouded the wizard’s face with a stormy look and Potter disappeared inside the house.

“We’ve finished here,” Stensky told the Avengers when they were within normal hearing range and she didn’t have to yell as Thor did. “Harry and I will stay for a few more minutes to answer any questions you have but most of our team has already gone back.”

“Quick work,” Steve commented.

“There wasn’t much that we haven’t seen before this week. Do you have any questions right away or do you want to look at the scene first?”

“I trust the bodies weren’t moved this time?” Natasha asked. The woman grimaced but nodded.

“Still in their beds,” she said.

“We’ll look at the scene first.” Rogers entered the house with Natasha close behind him. Clint was about to follow when...

“Actually, I have some questions,” Tony spoke up. “I’m assuming I talk to you since Potter is clearly British and therefore probably not a representative of the American Congress of...Magic was it?”

Stensky winced but forced a smile on her face and nodded. Her smile rapidly turned into a glower when a sound similar to the cracking of a whip rang through the air.

“Ass,” she muttered before turning her attention back on Stark. “What do you need to speak with us about, Mr. Stark?”

“It’s regarding some letters your department has sent me in the past couple of years,” Tony said. Upon hearing that, Clint followed after his friends, not wanting to listen to the conversation anymore. He was quickly realizing that magic and talk about it was very good at creating headaches.

“Stensky’s problem, not Potter’s,” he informed Natasha.

“Obviously, since Potter just took off,” she replied. “Disappeared into thin air, and not metaphorically. Magic?”

Clint shrugged but nodded, not knowing of any other explanation.

“Magic,” Steve muttered from where he was standing in the entrance to the kitchen, still looking at where Harry Potter had been before he apparated upon overhearing Tony’s question. “Who would have thought?”


	11. Chapter 11

"All of these nights out are killing me," Tony said, cracking his neck and stretching his shoulders as he walked into the Avengers tower. "And any possible inventions or ideas that normally come to me during these late hours. How is a person supposed to work like this?"

"I would have thought that you would have been brimming with ideas after the conversation you had with Stensky." Steve replied.

"Oh, I have ideas but nothing that I can actually work on until Natalya gets her eight hours of sleep and time to set up a workspace for me in her office. If I'm going to develop technology that works with or runs off of magic, I need to do it in a space where any test runs won't destroy the rest of my R and D."

"Natalya?" Steve asked, raising an eyebrow and crossing his arms.

"Don't give me that disapproving look. We didn't trade phone numbers or anything, mostly because she doesn't have a phone. I just decided to play friendly, since we  _are_  collaborative partners until we find out what psychopath is killing these families while they sleep and why, though Natalya hinted that we may have to ask Potter about the why part."

"Why would he know and not her?" Steve asked.

"From what I could gather, it has something to do with that green smoke skull that we've been finding above the houses. Apparently it means something."

"Of course it means something," Natasha grumbled. "If it didn't mean anything, it wouldn't be there."

Sensing the pending argument, Steve broke in before it could start. "Let's not start something this early in the morning. Let's just go to bed and regroup once we've all had some rest."

Natasha and Tony glared at each other before Tony sighed and stretched again.

"Whatever," he said. "I'll see you at lunch. Anyone up for shawarma?"

Steve sighed when he saw the dark-haired man head down the hallway, bypassing his room and heading straight for the elevator that lead to his lab. "So much for sleeping," he muttered before heading for his own bedroom.

Natasha and Clint glanced around the room and saw Thor claim the couch and turn on the television.

"Busy night," Natasha said quietly as she beckoned her friend over to the kitchen. "How long have you known about magic?"

"About a week," Clint replied."Potter and his colleague Lupin showed up the morning after Nathaniel was born to break the news that he had magic. Apparently it runs in Laura's extended family."

"Lupin? Not...Natalya?" Natasha grimaced as she said the name.

"I met Stensky for the first time when everyone else did," Clint replied. "No, Lupin is another magic user from the U.K."

"Why send two? I get Potter since he had another reason for coming here but why this Lupin?"

"Nathaniel changed genders while growing inside Laura," Clint said. "When he was born, his skin was black but it turned to white on the drive home. He's special, even among wizards and witches. With a thought, he can change everything about him except for his age-he can even change genders and body shape. He's something called a metamorphmagus and there's only a few in the world. Lupin is one as well, which is why he was sent."

"He can change everything? Not just hair or eye color?"

"Everything except for age," Clint repeated.

Natasha sighed. "That's quite the skill set. I know of a large number of people who would do or give anything to be able to have that skill set."

"I can as well," Clint replied flatly. "And I don't want my son around those people."

"What if he decides he wants to become like them?" Natasha asked quietly. "What if he wants to willingly use his skills for that line of work?"

Clint frowned and refused to answer.

The pair sat in silence for a few minutes before Natasha sighed. "We know how SHIELD works," she said. "We won't them take advantage of Nathaniel's abilities without his consent. If he wants this life, we'll give him all the tools he needs to succeed and we won't let anyone attempt to brainwash him into becoming a loyal soldier. Clint, I promise you that."

After a few seconds, Clint sighed. "Thanks," he said. "Hopefully it doesn't have to come to that though. Not after all I did to keep my family separate from  _this_." Clint waved his hand around the tower, which screamed Avengers from the framed pictures on the walls, the news playing on the television, and the Asgardian sleeping on the couch.

"And you've done better than I ever thought you would be able to," Natasha said. "You kept them safe, even when Hydra was inside of SHIELD and had every opportunity to try and find something that would hurt you. You might not think you can do the same in regards to protecting your family from any threat posed by witches and wizards but I  _know_  you can."

Clint gave his friend a tight-lipped smile. "Thanks Nat," he said before covering his mouth as a yawn overtook him. "I'm going to go get some sleep."

"Don't forget to call Laura," Natasha called after him as Clint began to walk away. Her acknowledgment came from Clint reaching into his pocket and pulling out a phone.

The red-haired woman rolled her shoulders, grimacing when the movement caused some joints to crack. After getting a glass of water, she was nearly ready to find her own room and get some sleep, but before she could start the brief journey, the lights in the entire building flicked off and back on.

The hairs on the back of her neck raised and Natasha's hand drifted down towards the gun on her hip. "Stark?" she called, eyes beginning to scan the area.

Inside his lab, Tony cursed as the brief power outage caused entire systems to restart throughout the Avengers tower. "Jarvis?" he called.

"Sir, our current location just appeared on the tracking system you set up last night."

"And what's on the security cameras?" Tony asked. "Who came into sight of any of the cameras before the power cut out."

"It appears to be a group of SHIELD agents at multiple entrances to the building."

Tony blew out the air he had been holding in. "That's new," he muttered. "And where are they now, Jarvis?"

"I'm not sure, sir. Something seems to be interfering with the systems throughout the building."

Tony cursed as the distinct sound of gunshots came from one of the upper floors. "Let the others know and try to convince them to leave at least one alive."

"Sir?"

"I want to know why SHIELD is attacking us when they should be worry about other things," Tony answered as his suit formed around him.

* * *

Harry Potter sat up with a jolt as the alarm attached to his floo went off, alerting him that someone was attempting to fire call. He rubbed a hand over his eyes before grabbing his glasses and stumbling to the fireplace.

"What's going on?" he asked as Natalya Stensky's face appeared in the flames.

"There's been some developments in the case," she said, speaking rapidly. "A SHIELD agent's body turned up in the Lebanon morgue, alongside of the newest family of victims. I contacted Fury about the matter and he informed me that that same agent had checked in with him, thirty minutes prior."

"That's impossible," Harry protested.

"Exactly what I said. Thankfully, Fury's a smart man-oh, don't give me that look, Potter. It's true, no matter what else you think of him. Anyways, he thought the agent was acting oddly and started tracking him. Now a whole team of SHIELD agents has gone rogue and they were last seen in the vicinity of the Avengers Tower."

"That can't be a coincidence," Harry muttered. "So what do you want me to do? I'm pretty sure if anything happens, the Avengers can handle themselves."

"Fury was of the opinion that some of the agents on the rogue team weren't the type to go rogue. I want you to find the agents and make sure that no outside influences are being used."

"Like the Imperius curse," Harry said with a sigh.

"Like the Imperius curse," Natalya replied. "Get to the tower as soon as you can. I'll meet you there." The witch pulled her head out of the flames and Harry sighed and rubbed the scar on his forehead.

"What does a person have to do to get some sleep around here?" he muttered as he summoned the clothes he had just discarded a couple of hours ago. After a second thought, he flicked his wand and summoned a set of battle robes to his hand as well. Hopefully he didn't need them but it was best to always be prepared; too many missions had gone wrong due to Aurors not being prepared.

With a sigh, Harry glanced at the picture of the Avengers tower from the files he had received from Stark, taking note of the surrounding areas, before apparating away from his apartment.

Straight into a firefight.

Harry ducked as a jet of light shot over his and decimated the set of windows behind him. A quick  _Accio_  to summon a discarded sheet of metal protected him from the bullets that came in his direction.

"It's Potter!" he called out when he spotted the red-haired shooter. "I came to help."

"Then you're late," Natasha remarked as she holstered the weapon. "We've taken care of things on this floor already."

"And on the others?"

The pair listened for a few heartbeats, taking in the sound of shattering glass and collapsing metal.

"I think Stark and Thor have things well in hand," Natasha stated.

"Is there a chance of any of your opponents being left alive?" Harry asked. "Fury contacted Stensky and she sent me to check the rogue agents over."

"For what? Some of your magic stuff, or whatever you call it?"

Harry grimaced. "Yes," he admitted. "Particularly a spell called the Imperius Curse. Wizards and witches use it to control others and do their bidding."

Green eyes narrowed. "Control others? To what extent?"

"As far as you can think of," Harry said. "To commit murder, to betray family and friends, even to kill oneself."

"Wonderful," Natasha muttered as the floor beneath the pair shook. "There's no survivors in this room, but Tony said to try and keep at least one alive, so you might be lucky today. Clint, what's your status?"

"No survivors among the handful that were still trying to enter the building from outside," the archer stated as he stepped over the broken glass that was once a door. "It's up to Tony, Steve, and Thor if we want any questions answered. A spell that can be used to control other people?"

His question was directed at Harry, who nodded in confirmation. "It's a nasty one and using it carries a mandatory prison sentence in the United Kingdom. Some people can throw it off but they have to be incredibly strong-willed to do so."

Natasha and Clint traded looks before Clint grimaced and wiped his hands off on the suit he had yet to change out of. "You left that out of your explanations about what magic is capable of," the man said.

"You'll find that there's a lot of things I left out," Harry said flatly. "It would be impossible to cover everything that magic is capable of and I don't see you going around and explaining everything that the human body is capable of to random people on the street."

Natasha snorted in amusement, drawing two glares in her direction.

"And now that everything is apparently out in the open and everyone seems to know about magic, I'll tell you the cause of death regarding the families for the past five nights. Just so no one can claim that I'm holding back information unnecessarily. It's called the Killing Curse."

Natasha snorted again. "You couldn't have called it something less obvious?" she asked.

"I didn't come up with the name," Harry grumbled. "It's another curse that carries a mandatory prison sentence for using it. While it's possible to use other curses and spells for killing, the Killing Curse is the only one that will leave behind a body without a mark, both inside and out. It was meant to be a way to kill without leaving behind a trace as to what caused the death but once you know what to look for, it's really quite obvious."

"So what's the point of killing all of those families? What's the point of killing everyone, even the family pet?"

Harry shrugged. "At this point, it's anyone's guess. I really can't tell you the reason why, but in my experience, the few wizards and witches that still know how to cast the Dark Mark are either not all there or they like killing for the sake of killing."

"The Dark Mark? That...smoke signal above the houses?"

"That's one way to describe it."

The floor shook beneath their feet one final time before loud voices were heard.

"Should we go down and see if they managed to leave one person alive?" Clint asked reluctantly.

"Might as well," Harry said with a small sigh. "The sooner we get answers, the sooner I can try and catch up on some sleep. I can only use Stay Alert potions for so long." At Natasha's look, Harry held up his hands in frustration. "Once again, I don't come up with the names!"


End file.
